Ice-harvesting machinery.



E. M. BONIL ICE HARVESTING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13. 1914.

Patented 1111164. 1918.

EEEE 156cc:

E. M. BOND.

ICE HARVESTING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13. 1914.

Patented June 4:, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

brine EDGAR M. BOND, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

ICE-HARVESTING MACHINERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June a, 1918.

Application filed April 13, 1914. Serial No. 831,479.

new and useful Improvement in Ice-Harvesting Machinery,of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to ice harvesting and handling machinery, butmore particularly to machinery for forcing ice in a runway such as thechannel which conducts the ice cakes from the pond to the bottom of theinc-line leading to the ice house, and has-for its object to providemeans for performing mechanically what has heretofore been donemanually.

It is generally customary to propel the ice cakes through a run-way orchannel by arranging gangs of men on opposite sides thereof providedwith spurred pushing poles. As these cakes float very deep when in thewater, considerable effort is necessary to so propel them and thereforethe men have to be located very close together.

With the present invention, the cakes are propelled mechanically throughthe channel or on the run-way and only sufficient men to watch forpossible jamming of the cakes are necessary, thus producing a greatsaving in labor and a corresponding reduction in the cost of harvestingor handling the me.

The size of the machine would necessarily vary according to the size ofthe channel or run-way in which it was to be used.

The many other features and advantages of the invention will be fullydescribed hereinafter and included in the claims.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Figure1 is a plan view of the invention complete.

Fig. 2, transverse longitudinal section of the invention.

Fig. 3, detail view of the controlling means, as will be fully describedhereinafter.

Referring to the drawings the invention is shown in connection with arun-Way here composed of side pieces 10 and 11 which act as guides forthe cakes which enter in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1.Preferably mounted on these side pieces or guides 10 and 11 is a shaft12 extending over the channel, and pivotally mounted on this shaft 12are oppositely disposed side frames 13 and 1 1 which extendlongitudinally of the channel substantially parallel to the side piecesor guides 10 and 11. Having its ends secured to theoppositely disposedside frames 13 and 1a and extending substantially transversely of thechannel, is a bridge 12 on which is mounted an electric motor 16. At aninterval therefrom and also extending transversely of the channel is asecond shaft 17 revolubly mounted in bearings 18 and 19 and upon thisshaft is fixed a pulley 20 adapted to be driven by the belt 21 from themotor 16. Secured upon this shaft 17 preferably at or near one of itsextremities is a sprocket 22. I

Mounted in bearings 23 and 24 at or near the rearward extremities of theside frames 13 and 1 1 respectively is a shaft 25, upon the endcorresponding to the end of the shaft 17 on which is mounted thesprocket 22 is a similar sprocket 26 which is adapted to be driven bymeans of the chain 27 from the sprocket 22. To this shaft 25 are securedoppositely disposed disks or wheels 28 and 29 between which is asubstantially cylindrical member 30 coaxial with the shaft 25. In thepresent embodiment this member is composed of eight separated crosspieces 30, but it should be clearly understood that any other suitableform of member could be used. On each of these cross pieces composingthe cylindrical member 30 are here placed four spurs 31 preferablyspaced apart in the manner best shown in Fig. 1 and here so arrangedthat two spurs on each cross piece shall engage the same cake of ice atthe same time.

These spurs are adapted to be forced into the top face of the cake bythe weight of the side frames 13 and 1 1 and the parts supported therebyand theseframes swing upon the shaft 12 so that the member 30 with itsspurs will always remain in engagement with the ice passing beneath thesame in the channel.

In order to prevent these side frames 13 and 141 and the memberssupported thereby from swinging downwardly too far when no cakes of iceare passing beneath the member 30 and thus supporting the rear endthereof, a'raising and lowering lever attachment 32, best shown in Fig.3, or other suitable means, is preferably provided. Upon this lever is acontrol handle 33, and the attachment is conv nected by a link 34 to theswinging frame.

The lever attachment is here fulcrumed on an upright 85 secured to theside piece 10 of the channel. If the cakes should become jammed, .theoperator can quickly raise the with the shaft by a chain. The reason forthis is that the belt connection 21 will permit of considerable slippingin case the member should become jammed or the ice travel in the channelor run-way blocked and thus the motor would not be blown out by suddenstopping, while a chain is used to drive the shaft 25 on account of itsproximity to the water and liability to become ice coated.

While it has been found to be advantageous to use-an electric motor todrive the member 30, any other suitable source of power supply can beused and the power may be conveyed to the shaft 25 by any suitable formof transmission.

The present embodiment has been shown in use in connection with'floatingice, but the device is equally applicable for use in a runway in whichthe ice cakes are out of the water. The cakes may be fed to the member30 manually or by any other suitable means.

The applicant is aware that numerous changes in the arrangement andconstruction of parts may be made by any one skilled in 1 the artwithout departing from the scope of his invention, and he does not careto be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown and described.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a device of the class described means.

for conducting floating ice in a predetermined path, and a plurality ofspaced hook shaped members arranged above said path adapted tosuccessively have their outer extremities forced into the top face ofthe ice as such ice is fed thereto and to cause said ice to be propelledalong said path by the EDGAR M. BOND.

Witnesses HARTLEY W. BAn'rLE'rr, HANNAH M. KENNEDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

